Noam Freedman's noam.com

2012 WSOP Schedule

2012-02-07T00:00:00-05:00

The 2012 WSOP Schedule has finally been announced. In the past years I have struggled to keep track of when the various events are scheduled, but I have never really did anything about it.

I was talking with my friend Richard “Quiet Lion” Brodie over dinner and he mentioned that someone had created a shared Google Calendar a couple of years ago. I figured that creating an iCal calendar couldn’t be that hard to do, and I had enough time this evening to create a 2012 WSOP iCal Calendar, available at http://noam.com/wsop/WSOP2012.ics.

Originally I arbitrarily made the events an hour long, but I decided to have them end when registration closes for the event. Last year you could register until the end of the second break, so I set them to run for four hours and forty minutes (e.g. four 60 minute levels and two 20 minute breaks). If they change the timing this year, I’ll update the calendar to reflect it.

Enjoy, - Noam

Qantas Business Class - Boeing 747

2012-01-18T00:00:00-05:00

Photo of Qantas Boeing 747-400LR by flickr user: Sheba_Also

I’ve traveled over 70,000 miles on Qantas, with most of that mileage logged on long distance international flights. All of my long distance flights have been in business class, so I’ve been lucky enough to have quite a bit of experience with the Qantas busines class product.

I am a fairly low-maintenance flyer. As long as they don’t run out of Diet Coke and come by often enough that it gets refilled on occasion, I’m generally happy with the service. What does make a difference for me is my physical environment, or the hard product in airline terms.

There is no one perfect seat on any airplane because everyone has different preferences. To some it might be leg room and seat width and to others it might be storage space, table space, noise level, or a myriad of other reasons that cause someone to prefer a seat. I’ll try to explain why I prefer the seats I do and what flaws they might have for others.

Overview of the Premium Cabins

The 747 has formed the backbone of Qantas’ trans-pacific travel, although it is begining to be replaced by the Airbus A380. Over the years, the vast majority of my flight miles on Qantas have been on the 747. Qantas has several different 747 configurations, but there is little difference between them for premium cabin customers.

On the Qantas 747, the premium cabins are split into three areas. To the right of the entry door and in front of economy or premium economy sits the main business class cabin. The seating in this cabin is 2-3-2, meaning there are two seats along the window sides and three seats in the middle. On some configurations there is an extra two-rows behind the stairs a little further back as well with the same 2-3-2 layout.

Above this main cabin sits the upper deck, which is configured as a business class cabin on all Qantas 747s. Access to the upper-deck is through a set of stairs at the back of the main section of business class, which is also adjacent to the door normally used for loading/unloading passengers.

Within the nose and in front of the main business class section is usually a first class section, although on some flights Qantas has decided to no longer offer a first class service. In those cases, the first class seats are available to business class customers. Early booking in this section is reserved for Oneworld Emerald customers, but it can’t hurt to ask if any seats are available when you go to the airport. On some retrofitted planes, they have converted this to a business class cabin with business class seats. I have not seen this in person yet, so I’m not sure how well the layout works.

The First Class cabin

Panorama of table space in seat 4K by Noam Freedman

Given the opportunity, this is my favorite cabin to sit in. These are not the newest Qantas first class seats, but they are still a nice upgrade from the normal business class seats. I try to choose flights that offer these seats to business class customers.

Given the curvature of the plane towards the nose, this cabin really changes from row-to-row.

Seats 4A/4K offer the most overall space as they have a pop-up bassinet. Since there are several more basinetts in the rest of business, there is relatively low risk of getting bumped from the seat but it is still a risk. The downside to seats 4A/4K is that, being farthest back, you are more likely to be bothered by noise or light from the galley.

Seats 1A/1K are the most private, but there is a flight attendent closet next to you that gets used during the flight. Seats 3A/3K are the next most private seats as there is a wide aisle at that point of the plane.

If you are traveling with someone, seats 3E/3F are great seats that also benefit from the wide aisle. Seats 4E/4K would be my next favorite, mostly because 2E/2F is quite exposed and there is more traffic there both because it provides a path from one side of the plane to the other and because of the flight attendant closet in front of you.

Unfortunately, Qantas has plans to convert this section to Business Class seats over time on many of their 747s. Having not flown on that configuration, I can’t comment on the pros/cons of the section.

Lower-deck Business Class cabin

The lower-deck section of business class sits behind the first class cabin and in front of galley and stairs for the upper deck. There are an additional two rows behind the galley and stairs on some Qantas configurations. As noted above, this section is 2-3-2 seating. Here is where personal preference really comes in to play. Some people like to have a window in this configuration as it means they will not be woken up by someone wanting to climb over them. I instead prefer to have an aisle seat, as I hate being on the other side of someone in deep sleep when I need to go to the bathroom.

Which side of the aisle to choose is a bit complicated for me. I prefer the window-side aisle if the window seat is empty. I have a slightly higher likelihood of having no neighbor, which means I can shift to the window mid-flight if I want to. On the other hand, if all the window seats are already taken then I will likely choose an inside aisle. The only time someone voluntarily sits here is when they are part of a couple that couldn’t get a window/aisle combination. In that case, they are much more likely to climb out over their partner than over me. If the middle seat is taken by someone traveling by themselves, then at least there is a chance they might go out the other side.

Given the option, I will choose seats towards the rear of the cabin on the left hand side of the plane (e.g. the side you board through). This will allow me to be one of the first people off the plane, which sometimes can make a big difference in Sydney when it might give you the jump on another plane-load of people entering immigration.

Upper-deck Business Class cabin

Due to the curvature of the plane, the upper deck of a 747 is more intimate than the main deck. Some people prefer the openess of the main deck and some prefer to be in a more intimate cabin with far fewer people around. In addition, the front rows of this cabin have the least foot traffic of any seats on the plane, so will tend to be much quieter. The seating in this section is 2-2 and the window seats in this section have a storage area below the window that gives you a lot of extra storage for your belongings.

I personally prefer the lower deck in general, but I would happily sit up here if I’m able to get the exit row seats in row 16. This is the one time I prefer the window seat as the exit row provides enough extra leg room that I’m able to get around the person in the aisle even if they are in a fully-reclined sleeping position.

Seat Maps

Qantas does provide seat maps on their website, but as is often the case I prefer to use the Qantas seat maps on SeatGuru instead. On SeatGuru you can find more detailed advice for the seats that might be available on your flight that I didn’t mention in this article.

Welcome to noam.com

2012-01-17T00:00:00-05:00

I acquired noam.com back in 1995 and I have had a web presense here ever since. Being a geek at heart, I made it “clean” on the backend. In my case, that meant dramatically overengineering it to use a mysql database to store my travel photo metadata, recipes, and restaurant reviews.

Unfortunately I never made an easy interface to add or modify the entries and as such they were last updated 10 years ago.

Close to a year ago my brother told me about Jekyll, a blog-aware static site generator, that uses Ruby scripts to generate a static website from simple templates. I played with it a little bit, but never got it off of the ground. My largest stumbling block at the time was being unable to find a theme that I liked.

Over the holidays this year I finally had some spare time to devote to the website. I found that there was now a jekyll-bootstrap version which included a few of the themes that I was interested in looking at. In the end I found I was happy with the theme I’m currently using, called twitter, with only a few minor changes.

Being a {c,perl,php} curmudgeon I’m not crazy about the use of ruby, but it isn’t that hard to hack on to modify Jekyll it to my liking. I’ve already written a couple of plugins that I plan to share over time.

Ultimately my goal is to update this site much more often than the old one. Luckily that should be a fairly easy bar to surpass…

Enjoy, - Noam

Emperor's Garden

2010-07-01T00:00:00-04:00

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been hosted in the Rio All Suites: Las Vegas Hotel and Casino since 2004. Always on the lookout for good food options, I quickly realized that Chinatown was only a few (long) blocks away from the hotel. When I’m in the mood for Chinese food in the morning, Emperor’s Garden is my go-to breakfast spot.

I always make sure to get an order of their Shanghai steamed dumplings. The Shanghai dumplings are a form of Xiaolongbao, a “soup dumpling” that has a flavorable soup inside of the dumplings after steaming. I’ve had Xiaolongbao several times at Din Tai Fung, an Asian dumpling chain famous for these dumplings. The dumplings at Emperor’s Garden are not at the same level as Din Tai Fung, but I’m shocked at how good they compare.

Most often I will also get an order of their pan friend dumplings. I find the dough on these to be a little thick, but I still enjoy them.

Melbourne, Australia

2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Travel photographs at http://noam.com/travel/2008/01/01/melbourne-australia

Israel

2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Travel photographs at http://noam.com/travel/2008/01/01/israel

Honolulu, Hawaii

2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Travel photographs at http://noam.com/travel/2008/01/01/honolulu-hawaii

Shonka Bar

2006-05-16T00:00:00-04:00

Shonka is a wonderful restaurant/club in the heart of Jerusalem. The service is fast and friendly, the waitresses are beautiful, and the food doesn’t disappoint.

Nafoura

2006-05-16T00:00:00-04:00

Nafoura is just around the corner from the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City. In it you will find a wonderful open-air courtyard where you can enjoy the Armenian influenced middle eastern food.

Mary Chung's

2006-05-16T00:00:00-04:00

Mary’s might be a hole in the wall, but it is a great local chinese eatery. I’m a big fan of their Dun Dun noodles with shredded chicken, but I can’t say I’ve ever had anything bad there.

Sushi Sasabune

2005-04-13T00:00:00-04:00

Trust us…

This is the sister restaurant to the one in LA (which I have also reviewed). The Chef in Hawaii is the student of the restaurant in LA, but I have to say that I prefer his food more. Obviously, this is really subjective since both are so far better than anything else I’ve had.

It’s hard to pinpoint one thing that really sets Sasabune apart, since there are so many, but if I was forced to pick one it would be the Toro. Where a normal high-end sushi restaurant might have Toro occasionally, Sasabune had two types of Toro during my visit. Moreover, they were much better than any Toro I have ever experienced (which includes sushi restaurants on both coasts and Tokyo).

Since the fish is flown in daily, it is hard to say what they will be serving. That said, here are my favorite items during my trip to Honolulu in 2005:

Toro Toro Tuna & Albacore appetizer Albacore Tamago Salmon

Beauty's Pizza

2005-04-13T00:00:00-04:00

Beauty’s is a relatively new pizza joint in the Kendall Sq. area. While they don’t have the fried delicacies (fries and onion rings) one has come to expect from such places, their pizza is cheap and good. Since it’s arrival in the area, my officemates have shifted to Beauty’s for almost all of their pizza deliveries. Beauty’s offers take-out or delivery only. Their delivery can get a little bogged down during lunch time, so I’d suggest you pick it up or call early.

Sydney, Australia

2005-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Travel photographs at http://noam.com/travel/2005/01/01/sydney-australia

Sushi Sasabune

2004-10-12T00:00:00-04:00

Omakase or bust… It doesn’t get any better than this. Without a doubt, Sushi Sasabune has the best sushi I have ever tasted. Most great sushi restaurants have fresh fish with a one or two extrordinary specialities. Every single piece of sushi at Sushi Sasabune is in the “extrodinary” class.

The only knock (for you perhaps, not me) is that you have very little choice in what you are going to be served. If you sit at the bar you get no option whatsoever. If you sit at a table you can ask to see a menu, but I still wouldn’t recommend it.

Rendevous

2004-10-12T00:00:00-04:00

Rendezvous has amazing dry rub ribs… probably the best I’ve ever had. It has a very relazed atmosphere and can easily handle large parties. The only downside is you’re likely to overeat. :)

County Line BBQ

2003-02-06T00:00:00-05:00

The County Line Barbeque is a small restaurant chain in the South. They are a great overall BBQ restaurant with wonderful warm bread and plenty of all-you-can-eat offerings. They also have an amazing burger.

Curacoa

2003-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Travel photographs at http://noam.com/travel/2003/01/01/curacao

Chicago, Illinois

2003-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Travel photographs at http://noam.com/travel/2003/01/01/chicago-illinois

Aruba

2003-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Travel photographs at http://noam.com/travel/2003/01/01/aruba

Tim Tam Cheesecake

2002-12-06T00:00:00-05:00

Ingredients - Crust

1 package Tim Tams
2 Tbs. butter, melted

Ingredients - Filling

1 stick butter
4 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsps. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 package Tim Tams

Directions - Crust

Butter a 9” springform pan.
Crush Tim Tams for the crust into crumbs and combine with the melted butter.
Press the mixture into the springform pan.
Cook for 10 minutes at 325 degrees.

Directions - Filling

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and butter with an electric mixer until well blended.
Add eggs one by one and combine well.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and then blend into the mixture.
Crumble the package of Tim Tams and combine by hand.
Add the mixture to the crust and cook for 60-65 mins at 350 degrees.
Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Cranberry Cake

2002-12-06T00:00:00-05:00

Recipe from Jersey Fresh Cooks cookbook.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

2 cups cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsps. vanilla extract
8-oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
confectioner’s sugar
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to batter mixture.
Mix remaining 1/4 cup flour with cranberries and nuts and fold into batter
Batter will be very thick. Spoon into a greased 10-inch fluted tube pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 65-70 minutes or until cake tests done.
Let stand 5 minutes before removing from pan.
Before serving, dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Challah

2002-12-06T00:00:00-05:00

Ingredients - Dough

1/2 cup softened butter
4 1/2 tsps. yeast
~5-8 cups flour
2 tsps. salt
3 eggs (kept warm)
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 F)
1/3 cup sugar

Ingredients - Egg wash coating

1 egg yolk
1 tsp. water

Directions

Mix yeast in 1/2 cup water + 1 tsp. sugar. Let sit for 5-10 mins
Mix 4 cups flour with the sugar, salt, and butter using an electric mixer until combined and forming course crumbs.
Add yeast mixure, warm water, and eggs and beat the loose dough with mixer or wooden spoon for ~3mins.
Slowly stir in just enough flour to form soft, slightly sticky dough.
Cover the dough w/ plastic wrap and let sit 5 mins.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and kneed for 10 minutes until smooth and satiny.
Put in oiled bowl and turn so all sides get covered.
Cover w/ plastic wrap and dish towl until doubled in size (1-2 hours).
Punch down the dough and kneed a few times. Repeat step 8 and 9 once more.
Cut into 6 pieces and cover with loose plastic wrap for 10 mins.
Roll into strips.
Braid/lightly oil/sit for 45 mins covered w/loose plastic wrap.
Coat with egg wash.
Bake @ 375F for 40-45 mins.

Schlemmermeyer Deli

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Has the best leberkaese to be found. This is a chain of stores, but this is the one to go to if you want leberkaese. Don’t forget the sweet mustard!

Sai Cafe

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Sai Cafe is a good restaurant in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area. Parking can be tight, so use the valet unless you plan on circling the block for a while. The sushi at the restaurant is inconsistent. It can be “just ok” or it can be amazing. In particular, their eel and their white tuna are occasionally out-of-this-world. Definitely try the dragon roll.

Sagami

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Sagami is truly one of the best sushi restaurants around. It is better than all but the top Bay Area and NYC sushi restaurants. The eel and the tamago are great, which are two hallmarks of a good sushi restaurant.

Rodity's Restaurant

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

This is an amazing greek restaurant in the heart of Greek-town.

Rami's

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Rami’s has great falafel and shwarma. It is some of the best I have had since visiting Jerusalem. The only gotcha is that it is a kosher establishment, so it is closed from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning.

No Name

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

No Name couldn’t be more of a hole-in-the-wall if it tried. However, it has good seafood and some of the freshest lobster you will ever taste.

Mon Ami Gabi

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Mon Ami Gabi is a great french bistro along the lakefront in Lincoln Park. If the weather is nice, it is a great place to sit outside on the patio overlooking the park. Do try one of their steak frites. They are scrumptious.

Kashmir

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Kashmir is a wonderful Indian restaurant right on Newburry Street. If the weather is bad, go downstairs to their wonderful dinning room. If the weather is right, dine on the patio and watch the pretty people walk by. They have a great appetizer sampler and my favorite entre, chicken tikka masala. I forgot to order a mango lasi when I last went, but that was probably for the best as I was already overstuffed.

Kantjil and De Tijger

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

An excellent indonesian restaurant. Very few tourists around. Definitely go with a rice table meal.

Il Latini

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Il Latini is a nice restaurant just south of the duomo area. They don’t take reservations and a line forms quickly. We were lucky and managed to just beat the crowd when we went. The aged meat (which hangs from the ceiling) is amazing. They also have a great appetizer with various meats from around Florence.

Haesje Claes

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

A restaurant with classic dutch food. Avoid the turist menu and go for the more traditional items (as noted on the menu).

Grasshopper

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

The Grasshopper is a great vegetarian Thai restaurant. I don’t normally eat at vegetarian restaurants, but a Thai one makes a lot of sense to me. I am not a big fan of the seafood options at Thai restaurants, and there isn’t normally much meat anyway.

Fugakyu

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Fugakyu is one of the better places in Boston to get sushi. It is consistently good and occasionally great.

Frances' Deli

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

One of the great delis in Chicago. They make fabulous triple-decker sandwiches and an award winning shake.

California Cuisine

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Restaurant review at http://noam.com/restaurants/2001/05/03/california-cuisine-san-diego

Banderas

2001-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Bandera’s is my favorite restaurant in Chicago. I could (and did) go there 2-3 times a week without any complaints. Everything they make is fabulous. If they don’t have it on the menu, still ask for the cheesburger. It is made from the shavings of their steaks and has a great “special sauce”. It is the best burger I have had.

Three Cheese Pizza

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread (~21” long), split lengthwise and toasted
¼ cup Parmesan cheese; grated
½ cup Scallions; chopped
1 cup Provolone cheese; shredded
1 Tbs. Butter
1 jar (14 oz) Ragú Pizza Quick Sauce
1 cup Mushrooms; sliced
1 Red bell pepper; sliced into long thin strips
1 cup Mozzarella cheese; shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a large skillet, sauté scallions, mushrooms, and pepper in butter until the vegetables are tender; set aside.
Top each piece of bread evenly with sauce.
Evenly top with vegetable mixture and the cheeses.
Bake 15 minutes or until heated through.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Serves 2-3

Ingredients - Meatballs

1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 lb. Ground Meat
1/2 cup Matzo Meal
Dash Pepper
1 Finely chopped onion
2 Eggs

Ingredients - Sauce

1 tsp. Salt
1 Small can cranberry sauce
1 cup Water
1 cup Tomato juice
1 tsp. Lemon juice

Directions

Mix sauce ingredients in a good-sized pot. Mash the cranberry sauce.
Bring to a boil and let simmer while preparing meatballs. Whisk the sauce to break up all the cranberry sauce.
Combine all meatball ingredients except the Matzo Meal and shape into meatballs.
Roll each meatball in Matzo Meal and place on wax paper.
When they are all shaped, put them all in the boiling sauce.
Turn down to a simmer and cover and cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Add a little brown sugar if you prefer it sweeter.

St. Joseph's Convent Energy Balls

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Makes 50 +/- 20 balls

Ingredients

2 cups Peanut butter
2 cups Milk or semi-sweet chocolate
2 cups Powdered sugar
1/3 cup Powdered milk

Directions

Mix first three ingredients well. It should be stiff but not too sticky.
Form into balls.
Freeze for an hour or two.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler.
Dip balls into chocolate, placing them on wax paper.
Let them rest until the chocolate is no longer sticky. Remove from the wax paper with a thin metal spatula to prevent the bottoms from sticking to the paper.

Sloppy Joes

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

2 Tbs. Sweet Relish
1 lb. Extra-lean ground beef
8-9 Sandwich rolls, split and toasted
2 cups Ragú Hearty Pasta Sauce
1 Tbs. Chili Powder
1 Medium onion, chopped
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper

Directions

In a large skillet, thoroughly brown beef and drain the excess fat.
Add onion and green pepper; sauté lightly.
Add sauce, relish, and chili powder.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve on toasted rolls.

Ratatouille

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Ingredients - Seasoning Mix

1/2 tsp. dillweed
1/2 tsp. thyme
salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
black pepper
8-9 leaves basil, chopped
1/2-1 tsp. cumin

Ingredients

1 large can of diced tomatos
1/4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into slices 1/4”-1/2” thick
2 shallots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
3 small zuchinni, peeled and chopped into 1/2” cubes
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup - 1 cup apple juice
Olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Place on baking sheet and cook for 7 minutes.
Flip and cook for 4 minutes, or until fork tender.
Chop the eggplant into cubes.
Preheat a pan with olive oil until hot.
Cook garlic for 2-3 minutes.
Add the shallots and cook until transparent.
Add half of the basil and all of the other spices.
Add the zuchinni and bell peppers and cook until they lose all of their crunchiness, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the eggplant cubes and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the apple juice, tomatos, and the rest of the basil and bring to a simmer.
Let simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Add the balsamic vingegar and stir it in.
Take off the heat and serve.

Lemon Dill Chicken

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Recipe from Fork in the Road by Paul Prudhomme

Serves 3

Ingredients - Seasoning Mix

¼ tsp. White pepper
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Black pepper
1 tsp. Dillweed
1 tsp. Dried sweet basil leaves

Ingredients

2 cups Onions; julienned (1 large onion)
3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~1 pound total)
Dash sugar (optional)
1 ½ cups Defatted chicken stock
½ cup Fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp. Cornstarch
1 cup Apple Juice

Directions

Combine seasoning mix.
Sprinkle all surfaces of the chicken with 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix. Rub well.
Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of apple juice and set aside.
Preheat a heavy 10-inch skillet (or small All-Clad sauce pan) over high heat to 350°F; about 4 minutes.
Place the chicken in the skillet, lower to medium heat, and brown on both sides for at least 1minute per side. Set aside the chicken.
Return the heat to high and stir in ½ cup of the stock. Deglaze the bottom of the pot.
Add the onions and the remaining seasoning mix, stir and cook until all the liquid evaporates, about 3-4 minutes.
Sir in ¼ cup of the lemon juice, deglaze the bottom and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 3-4 minutes.
Add ½ cup of the apple juice, deglaze bottom and sides and cook until half the liquid remains, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the remaining 1 cup stock, ¼ cup lemon juice, and ¼ cup apple juice and bring to a boil, about 2-3 minutes.
Whisk in the cornstarch/apple juice mixture and return to a boil.
Return chicken to the pot, lower heat to medium, and cook until done, about 4-5 minutes.
Remove chicken and whisk in the sugar.

Lamb Stew

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Recipe from Fork in the Road by Paul Prudhomme

Serves 4

Ingredients - Seasoning Mix

1 ½ tsps. Dry mustard
1 tsp. Ground caramom
1 Tbsp. Curry powder
3/4 tsp. Cayenne
1 ¼ tsps. Black pepper
2 tsps. Garlic powder
¼ tsp Ground nutmeg
1 ½ tsps. Dry sweet basil leaves
2 ½ tsps. Salt
3/4 tsp. Ground allspice
2 tsps. Sweet paprika
½ tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp. White pepper
1 tsp. Chili powder

Ingredients

1 medium Turnip, peeled and cut into 10 wedges
1 large Potato, peeled, cut into 2-inch rounds, and quarterd
1 lb Lamb shank or loin diced into 1-inch cubes (with fat removed)
4 cups Cooked long-grain brown rice
2 large Carrots, peeled and cut in halt lengthwise and into 2-inch pieces
1/2 small head Green cabbage cut into 4 wedges
2 ribs Celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups Defatted chicken stock
1 1/2 cups Dried chickpeas
1 large Onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 large Green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 2-inch squares
2 1/2 cups Apple juice

Directions

Day 1: Add enough water to the chickpeas to cover them by 3 to 4 inches, and soak overnight in the refridgerator. As the peas absorb the water, they will more than double in volume.
Day 2: Combine the seasoning mix ingredients into a small bowl.
Preheat a heavy 8-quart pot, preferably non-stick, over high heat to 350 degrees, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix evenly over the lamb and rub it in well. Place the seasoned lamb in the pot and brown it on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the lamb and set it aside.
Add 1 cup of the stock to the pot and scrape the bottom to clear it of all brown bits.
Drain the chickpeas and add them to the pot, along with half of the vegetables and the remaining seasoning mix. COver and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer the ingredients from the pot in batches to a blender or food processor, along with 1 cup of stock, and puree until smooth.
Return the pureed mixture to the pot, and stir in the remaining stock and apple juice. Add the remaining vegetables, and the lamb and its juices. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot two or three times, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Serve over the brown rice.

Irish Cream Chocolate Mousse Cake

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Serves 12

Ingredients - Mousse

¼ cup Irish cream liqueur
4 Eggs
1 ½ cups Chilled whipping cream
1/3 cup Sugar
12 ounces Semisweet chocolate, chopped

Ingredients - Cake

1 cup All-purpose flour
6 Eggs
Pinch Salt
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Instant espresso powder or coffee powder

Ingredients - Syrup

2/3 cup Sugar
5 Tbsp. Water
5 Tbsp. Irish whiskey

Ingredients - Assembly

4 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate, in small slivers

Directions - Syrup

Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
Increase heat and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and mix in whiskey. Let cool to room temperature.

Directions - Mousse

Whisk eggs and sugar in large metal bowl.
Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until a candy thermometer reads 160°F, about 5 minutes.
Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until cool and very thick, about 10 minutes.
Place chocolate in top of another bowl over simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water and let cool to lukewarm.
Combine cream and Irish cream liqueur in medium bowl; beat to stiff peaks. Pour lukewarm melted chocolate over egg mixture and fold together. Fold in cream mixture.
Cover and chill until set, at least 4 hours or overnight

Directions - Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 ¾ - inch high sides. Line bottom with parchment paper.
Using electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, espresso powder and salt in a large bowl until mixture thickens and slowly dissolving ribbons form when the beaters are lifted, about 8 minutes.
Sift 1/3 of the flour over and gently fold into the egg mixture. Repeat 2 more times being careful not to over-mix.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack.

Directions - Assembly

Cut cake into three layers. Put syrup on the bottom layer and spread 2 cups of mousse over. Repeat for next two layers. Spread excess mousse over the sides and sprinkle the chocolate slivers all over the cake. Keep cake refrigerated.

Chocolate Hazelnut Bread Pudding

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Recipe from the waiter at Jack’s Firehouse in Philadelphia

Serves 20

Ingredients

20 Pieces Chocolate cake
2 qts Heavy cream
1 Tb Vanilla
20 Tbs Hazelnut Liquer
24 Egg yolks
1 cup Sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Put 1 piece of chocolate cake at the bottom of each muffin tin or coffee cup
Cover each piece with 1 Tb of hazelnut liquer and let soak 10 minutes
Heat the heavy cream and at the same time whip up egg yolks.
Add in the sugar and vanilla to the egg yolks and fold together.
Slowly add the cream to the egg yolks while quickly mixing to make sure the eggs don’t cook.
Pour mixture evenly over all the containers.
Cook at 350° for 45 minutes.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Makes 12-16 strawberries

Ingredients

1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. Vegetable shortening
1 container Strawberries (~12-16)

Directions

Melt the chocolate and shortening in a double boiler (metal mixing bowl over a small pot of simmering water). Do not let the water touch the mixing bowl.
Turn off heat.
Dip/roll the strawberries in the melted chocolate and place on a tray covered with wax paper.
Place the tray into the refrigerator and let sit for until hard.

Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar or 1 ½ Tbsp. Red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
¼ cup Chopped fresh basil (optional)
1 ¼ lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” pieces
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup Finely chopped onion
2 Minced garlic cloves

Directions

Heat a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion and garlic and sauté until just tender, about 4 minutes.
Add chicken and cook until chicken is brown, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.
Stir in vinegar and mustard. Continue cooking until chicken is tender and cooked through, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle basil if desired.

Charoset

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Ingredients

1 large delicious apple peeled, cored, and chopped
1 large smith apple peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup walnuts coarsely chopped (2 different textures)
1/4 cup sweet red wine
2 dates

Directions

Combine all and mix well.

Butternut Squash Risotto

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Recipe from American Brasserie by Gale Gand and Rick Tramonto

Ingredients

2 Garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Medium Butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/2 cubes
2 Plum tomatoes, diced
4 Cups Chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water)
1 Medium Onion, chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
3/4 Cup Arborio rice
2 Tbsp. Cold heavy cream
2 Tbsp. Cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tsps. Olive oil
1 Tbsp. Chopped fresh basil
Pinch Tumeric
1/2 to 1 tsp. Light brown sugar

Directions

In a large pot of salted water, cook the squash until fork tender (12-15 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Whisk the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Cover and refrigerate.
Bring stock to simmer and keep until needed.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent (about 8 minutes).
Add the rice and stir until coated with oil.
Add the stock one ladlefull at a time, stir and wait until it is mostly absorbed before adding more. Repeat for ~25-30 minutes until there is no more stock.
Stir in the tumeric, cinnamon, and sugar.
Stir in the squash and tomatoes.
Gently stir in the cheese, butter, cream, and basil and heat through.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Braised Chicken Curry with Yams

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Recipe adapted from Ming Tsai on Food TV. Serves 4.

Ingredients

1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
4 cups Chicken stock
Canola oil
2 Bay leaves
2 large White Onions, chopped
1 large Banana
2 lbs Chicken legs and thighs
3 large yams, peeled and copped into 1/2” pieces
1/3 cup Madras curry powder
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions

Heat a stock pot coated with oil.
Season the chicken and brown on all sides.
Remove chicken and throw out excess fat.
Saute onions and garlic until carmelized.
Add curry powder and mix quickly for 2 minutes, making sure not to burn the powder.
Add chicken stock, bay leaves, banana and chicken and bring to a boil.
Set to simmer and cook for 1.5 hours.
Remove the ckicken from the pot and add in the yams.
Cook until the yams are fork tender.
Add in the chicken and let it warm up.
Serve over white rice.

Braised Artichokes in a White Wine Sauce

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Ingredients

6 artichokes cleaned and quartered
1 medium onion sliced end to end after halving
8 cloves garlic
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
¼ tsp, red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. dry thyme
1 cup white wine
6 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Keep artichoke quarters in acidulated water.
Heat olive oil.
Add garlic to olive oil.
Add onions and red pepper flakes.
Add artichokes and allow to sear until slightly browned.
Add wine and reduce by half.
Add stock and thyme and bring to boil.
Reduce to simmer for 30 mins.
Garnish w/ parsley.

Almond Cookies

2001-04-30T00:00:00-04:00

Makes ~25-30 cookies

Ingredients

1 lb. Almonds ground to a powder
4 Egg whites
2 1/4 cups Powdered sugar
1 tsp. Baking powder

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F.
Whip up egg whites to peaks.
Fold in powdered sugar and baking powder.
Fold in almonds.
Line a heavy cooking pan with parchment paper.
Put a tablespoon of the batter on the pan for each cookie. (6-8 cookies per sheet)
Cook for 10-12 minutes. Replace the parchment paper every so often.